Easter update

Hello brothers and sisters. The following is a brief update on one facet of the work here in Stung Treng.

I’ve often asked you to pray for Yeng and Eng, a mother and daughter who have miraculously continued faithful to Christ for 8 years as the only Christians in their village (hopefully I can elaborate later on the truly miraculous nature of this fact). For the past year, we have been worshiping each week with Yeng and Eng in their home (in Pum Tmai village, about 15 minutes from us).

Eng and Yeng

In February, Chan-tii heard the gospel for the first time at a medical clinic and expressed interest. Since then, she hasn’t missed a Sunday as we’ve carefully explained the gospel to her. Recently, Chan-tii told Yeng that she believes “with all her heart, with all her liver.” Praise God. On Easter Sunday, I rejoiced to lead the first-ever Easter worship in Pum Tmai village, baptize Chan-tii, and join in her first Lord’s Supper. Chan-tii lives in the neighboring village and is now the only Christian there.

Risen with Christ!

Another completely unrelated (until recently) facet of our work has been our relationship with Sopiap (pictured below; you’ve prayed for her too). Sopiap lives in town near us, and through a now-humorous mix-up (none too few in our life here!), she ended up joining us for worship out in the village two weeks ago. For various reasons, having Sopiap join us for worship was not a high priority for me right now, but it appears the Lord’s priorities may be somewhat different from mine. Sopiap and her grandson attended for the second time on Easter as we baptized Chan-tii and celebrated the resurrection of Christ.

Sopiap (right) and her daughterThe (proto-) church in Pum Tmai village

In response …

Praise God both for his saving work in Chan-tii and for this boon to my spirit. We’re in the midst of the hottest hot season we’ve experienced, and we have been very weary this past month, both in body and mind. Easter Sunday was an unexpected refreshment to my soul—how appropriate!

Please pray for these dear ladies, particularly as we return to the U.S. for 8 months, beginning in June. Ultimately, pray for laborers (both foreign and Cambodian) who can fill these and many other similar needs; until then, pray for the continued miracle of preservation in the absence of spiritual oversight and care.

Pray for Sopiap, who continues to be open to the gospel but has not yet publicly confessed Christ.